Wilbur Huckle

Wilbur Allan Huckle (born November 25, 1941) (Huckle's birth date and location—November 25, 1941, in San Antonio, Texas—are as listed on a digitized "player contact card" originally created by The Sporting News.) Baseball-Reference.com lists Huckle's date of birth as December 23, 1937. and was referred to as a "22-year-old shortstop" in January 1964; these align with a 1941 year of birth. Additionally, he was playing high school sports as late as the spring of 1960, baseball, and basketball. He played college baseball at Sul Ross State College in Alpine, Texas, in 1961—when he hit .396 (23-for-58)—and 1962.

Huckle played in the Mets' minor league system from 1963 to 1971.

According to journalist Keith Olbermann, a photographer recalls that Huckle received a September call-up to the Mets in 1963, on the same day as Cleon Jones, but was optioned back to the minor leagues without appearing in a game. This recollection was challenged by researchers contributing to the "Mets by the Numbers" website, who contend that Huckle indeed was invited to work out with the Mets in September 1963, but was not actually added to the major league roster. Consistent with the latter account, Red Foley of the New York Daily News had written in mid-September 1963 that Jones and Huckle were working out with the Mets, but that neither player was on the Mets' roster.

Career minor league statistics At the time, Huckle was in his second professional season, playing for the Double-A Williamsport Mets in Pennsylvania.

Huckle as a roommate In 1966, Wilbur became the first professional baseball roommate of future Hall of Fame inductee Tom Seaver, during Seaver's first minor league season in Jacksonville, Florida. Seaver recalled:

"My first year in professional baseball, I roomed with a fellow named Wilbur Huckle, who played the infield for Jacksonville. We had a rather unusual relationship. I never saw Wilbur Huckle in our room — at least not awake.I never talked with him. I never heard him. I never ate a meal with him. When I came in at night, early or late, he was either out or asleep. And when I got up in the morning, he was always gone. He got up early and went on long walks by himself."

Huckle's prowess as a roommate is matched only by his reputation as a teammate:

"Lots of guys tried, but nobody ever beat Wilbur Huckle getting into street clothes after a game... . Once, I heard, when Wilbur was playing in a lower minor league, his team was on a losing streak, and when they lost their sixth or seventh in a row, the manager started screaming at his players as they entered the clubhouse. "Sit down on the benches", he hollered. "This has gone too damn far. Just sit down and think about your mistakes. Think about your errors. Nobody's taking a shower until I say so." The manager was facing the whole team, scowling and storming, and right behind him stood Wilbur Huckle, fresh out of the shower, toweling himself dry." 1973 Batavia Trojans NY–Penn 33 36 .478 5th 1974 Batavia Trojans NY–Penn 20 49 .290 6th Totals 3 Seasons 82 125 .396 After his playing career ended, Huckle managed the Class A Short-Season Batavia Trojans of the New York–Penn League for three seasons during their period as a Mets affiliate, but his teams accrued only a .396 winning percentage. who went on to play six seasons in the major leagues. Of the players on Batavia's roster in 1974, only Yost and pitcher Bob Myrick eventually played in MLB.